FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Manufacturing Division
FEDERATION OF INDIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY
ON
INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
July 2017
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Manufacturing Division
CONTENTS Page No.
Introduction & Quarterly Outlook for Manufacturing Sector 1
Auto 6
Capital Goods 8
Cement and Ceramics 10
Chemicals & Fertilizers 12
Electronics & Electricals 14
Leather and Footwear 16
Machine Tools 17
Metal and Metal Products 18
Paper Products 20
Textiles and Technical Textiles 21
Textiles Machinery 23
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
1 | P a g e Manufacturing Division
Introduction & Quarterly Outlook for the Manufacturing Sector
Production and Demand
FICCI’s latest quarterly survey assessed the expectations of manufacturers for Q-1 (April – June
2017-18) for eleven major sectors namely auto, capital goods, cement and ceramics, chemicals
and fertilizers, electronics & electricals, leather and footwear, machine tools, metal and metal
products, paper products, textiles and technical textiles, and textiles machinery. Responses
have been drawn from over 300 manufacturing units from both large and SME segments with a
combined annual turnover of over ₹3.5 lac crore.
• FICCI’s latest Quarterly Survey on Manufacturing suggests slight upward movement for the
manufacturing sector outlook in the first quarter (April – June 2017-18) of the fiscal as the
percentage of respondents reporting higher production in first quarter have increased vis-à-
vis previous quarter. Moreover, it is worth noting that the percentage of respondents
reporting lower production has reduced considerably over the previous quarter thereby
indicating a more positive outlook in months to come.
• The proportion of respondents reporting higher output growth during the April – June 2017-
18 quarter has risen slightly from 47% January – March 2016-17 to 49%. Respondents
reporting negative growth have come down to 17% in April – June 2017-18 from 27% as
reported in the previous quarter.
• However, the slight uptick in the outlook for manufacturing production in first quarter of
the current fiscal year is accompanied by rising cost of production (for a little over two-
thirds of the respondents).
• In terms of order books, about 47% respondents in April – June 2017-18 quarter reported
higher order numbers which is almost the same as that recorded in the previous quarter.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Figure: Respondents Expecting Higher Production in the Quarter
vis-à-vis Respective Last Year’s Quarter
Source: FICCI Survey
Quarter % of Respondents Expecting Higher Production in the Quarter vis-à-vis
Respective Last Year’s Quarter
Q-1 (2017-18) 49%
Q-4 (2016-17) 47% (Revised)
Q-3 (2016-17) 48%
Q-2 (2016-17) 55%
Q-1 (2016-17) 53%
Q-4 (2015-16) 60%
Q-3 (2015-16) 55%
Q-2 (2015-16) 63%
Q-1 (2015-16) 44%
Q-4 (2014-15) 52%
Q-3 (2014-15) 50%
Q-2 (2014-15) 62%
Q-1 (2014-15) 50%
Q-4 (2013-14) 56%
Q-3 (2013-14) 52%
Q-2 (2013-14) 48%
Q-1 (2013-14) 35%
Q-4 (2012-13) 36%
Q-3 (2012-13) 45%
Q-2 (2012-13) 44%
36%
46%
44%
45%
36%
35%
48%
52%
56%
50%
62%
50% 52
%
44%
63%
55%
60%
53% 55
%
48%
47% 49
%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
Res
po
nd
ents
Exp
ecti
ng
hig
her
Ou
tpu
tQ
-o-Q
(%
)
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
3 | P a g e Manufacturing Division
Q-1 (2012-13) 46%
Q-4 (2011-12) 36%
Source: FICCI Survey
Capacity Addition & Utilization
• The average capacity utilization as reported in the survey for the manufacturing sector is
about 75% for Q-4 2016-17 which is similar to that of Q-3 2016-17.
• The future investment outlook remains less optimistic. Even now, 74% respondents in Q-1
2017-18 as against 75% respondents in Q-4 2016-17 reported that they don’t have any
plans for capacity additions for the next six months. Although, the bleak investment outlook
seems to be waning if Q-3 2016-17 is taken into consideration (when 77% respondents had
no plans for capacity addition). High percentage implies slack in the private sector
investments in manufacturing is here to continue for some more months. Large volumes of
imports, under-utilised capacities and lower domestic demand from industrial sectors and
OEMs are some of the major constraints which are affecting the expansion plans of the
respondents.
• On a broader perspective, in some sectors (like chemicals, capital goods, textiles machinery,
cement, metals and paper) average capacity utilization has either remained same or
declined in Q-4 of 2016-17. On the other side, some sectors including auto, textiles and
electronics and electricals reported a rise in the average capacity utilisation over the same
period.
Table: Current Average Capacity Utilization Levels As Reported in Survey (%)
Sector
Average Capacity
Utilisation in Q-4
2016-17
Average Capacity
Utilisation in Q-3
2016-17
Average Capacity
Utilization in Q-2
2016-17
Average Capacity
Utilization in Q-1
2016-17
Auto 78 75 80 77
Capital Goods 71 74 70 80
Cement 72 80 80 87.5
Chemicals 76 76 83 83
Textiles 82 79 84 84
Electronics & Electricals
68 58 70 65
Food NA 60 60 57
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Leather & Footwear 55 60 60 60
Metals 76 82 70 70
Textiles Machinery 60 60 60 50
Paper 80 87.5 85 80
Machine Tools 80 NA 80 NA *NA: Not Available due to lack of data
Inventories
• As for the Inventory levels, 87% of the participants in Q-4 (January – March 2016-17), as
against an overwhelming 97% in Q-3 (October-December 2016), have maintained either
more or same levels of inventory as their average inventory levels.
Exports
• Export outlook of manufacturing sector for the first quarter of this fiscal also seems to be
marginally improving as percentage of respondents expecting fall in Q-1 (2017-18) has come
down from 22.8% in Q-4 (2016-17) to 18.5%.
Hiring
• Hiring outlook for the sector remains subdued in near future as 73% of the sample
participants in Q-1 2017-18 said that they are unlikely to hire additional workforce in next
three months. However, when compared on a sequential basis, this proportion reflects a
mild improvement over the previous quarter when 77% of the respondents were reportedly
averse to hire additional workforce.
Interest Rate
• Average interest rate paid by the manufacturers still remain high though have shown some
sign of moderation with average rate of 11% but highest rates continue to be upwards of
14.5%.
Sectoral Growth
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
5 | P a g e Manufacturing Division
• Based on expectations in different sectors, the Survey suggests that moderate growth is
expected in metals, leather and footwear, machine tools and capital goods sector in Q-1
2017-18. Low growth is expected in sectors like chemicals, automotive, textiles and cement.
Only in case of electronics and electricals high growth is expected for Q-1 2017-18.
Table: Growth expectations for Q-1 2017-18 compared with Q-1 2016-17
Sector Growth Expectation
Cement and Ceramics Low
Chemicals Low
Auto Low
Textiles and Technical Textiles Low
Electronics & Electricals Strong
Machine Tools Moderate
Metals & Metal Products Moderate
Leather and Footwear Moderate
Capital Goods Moderate
Note: Strong > 10%; 5% < Moderate < 10%; Low < 5%
Source: FICCI Survey
Production Cost
• The cost of production as a percentage of sales for product for manufacturers in the survey
has risen significantly as 69% respondents in Q-1 2017-18, against 60% respondents
reported cost escalation in last quarter. This is primarily due to rise in minimum wages and
raw material cost.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Auto
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Improvement Expected
Positive Outlook Less than
average levels of inventory
Positive Outlook Positive Outlook
• About two-third of the respondents expect slightly higher production levels in the April –
June 2017-18 quarter (when asked for an annual comparison). This also gets reflected in the
order books as similar proportion of industry participants reported higher orders for the
same quarter (on a sequential basis).
• On an average, the industry is employing about 78% of its installed capacity and for almost a
third of the participants, it is higher than that of last year. Moreover, about 67% of the
respondents reportedly plan to add capacity in the next six months to the tune of about
15%. However, the expansion plans may get affected by a few delays largely due to the lag
period involved in getting plant and machinery, which usually extends to about 20 weeks.
• As for exports, most of the respondents are expecting higher export figures in the April –
June quarter vis-à-vis same quarter last year. On average, the rise is about 13% over the
same period.
• Almost all of the respondents expect exports to get impacted (fall of 0-5%) due to the
recent currency appreciation while imports to get cheaper by 5-10%.
• About two-third of the respondents reported to be maintaining less than average levels of
inventory largely owing to the transition from BSIII to BSIV emission norms.
• About 68% of the survey participants reportedly plan to hire additional workforce (with the
average of 9%) in the next three months.
• Close to 50% of the covered industry representatives expect the growth of manufacturing
sector to remain same while a few expect the growth to revive in near future. The sector
has suggested that following issues need to be addressed to revive growth:
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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✓ Restricting large volumes of imports (esp. dumping of goods from China) in auto
components
✓ Augmenting employability by developing skills which are presently inadequate for
the Auto industry – Painting, Welding and Machining skills
✓ Higher investments in Infrastructure
• For a little over 50% of the respondents, cost of production as a percentage of their sales
increased vis-à-vis last year. This was mainly attributed to inflationary pressures on raw
material costs and increase in labour wages.
• Some of the significant constraints for the sector are unavailability of raw materials and that
of skilled labour.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Capital Goods
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Improvement Expected
Moderate Outlook
Moderate Outlook
Not expected in next 6 months
Bleak Outlook
• For the April – June 2017-18 quarter, a little over 60% of the participants expect the output
level to be higher (y-o-y basis) by an average of 6%.
• The same is matched by the order books for the quarter as approximately 55% of the
sample reported higher orders as compared to the previous quarter of the current fiscal.
However, about a third reported the same to be slightly lower.
• Currently, the sector utilises about 70% of its capacity which stands at a higher level than
that of the previous year for 54% of the firms surveyed. Around 77% of the covered firms
reported that they are not planning to add capacity in next 6 months.
• Exports for the present quarter are expected to rise (by an average 15%) for about 46% of
the survey participants while almost two-fifths of the sample expects the quantum to
remain the same (y-o-y). Almost three quarters of the firms responded that exports are
likely to be affected to the tune of 0-5% due to rupee appreciation while about 60% said
that this would help imports to get cheaper between 0-5%.
• However, close to 47% of the respondents are maintaining average inventory levels while
almost a third reportedly are maintaining comparatively higher inventories.
• An overwhelming majority (85%) participants from this sector indicated that they are not
likely to hire new workforce in near future.
• On an average, the industry reported to be availing credit at an interest rate close to 11.5%.
• About 42% of the participants expect growth rate of manufacturing sector to revive in near
future while a third expect it to remain on the same growth path. Following suggestions
have been proposed for faster revival of growth in the sector:
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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✓ Increase in government’s capital expenditure and increased government
procurement from domestic manufacturers
✓ Lower interest rates and cost of financing
✓ Across the board infrastructure development
✓ Faster implementation of Industrial Corridor Projects
• A mild rise in production level has been matched by a rise in production costs as 85% of the
respondents reported higher input costs. This was largely accounted by increased wages
and raw material costs along with relatively rising prices of commodities in the international
market.
• Shortage of working capital, low domestic & export demand are reportedly some of the
significant constraints for the sector which are restricting its growth.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Cement and Ceramics
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investments for
Expansion Hiring
Moderate outlook
Not indicated Average inventory
levels Bleak Outlook Bleak outlook
• The outlook for the sector is quite mixed as half of the respondents expect higher output
level in the April – June quarter (vis-à-vis the year ago quarter) while the other half
expecting a drop. The order books reflect similar impressions for the same quarter on a
sequential basis.
• Capacity utilization in the sector was reported to be around 72%. Three-fifths of the
participants indicated that they are operating at lower capacity, on a year-on-year basis,
while others suggested improvement in the same. Almost 80% are not planning to add
capacity in next few months.
• Almost 60% of the sample is reportedly maintaining average inventory levels of finished
goods while others are having higher levels.
• About four-fifths of the reporting firms in the cement and ceramics sector are not planning
to hire new work force in the next three months.
• This sector is reportedly availing credit at an average rate of 10.4%.
• Almost 60% of the participants believe that the growth rate of manufacturing is likely to
remain the same in the next six months.
• About half of the respondents reported rise in the cost of production as a percentage of
their sales.
• Issues that are affecting growth of the sector significantly are deficiency and high prices of
raw materials and sluggish domestic demand. Other issues faced by the sector are
o Deficiency of power, shortage of working capital and competition faced from duty
free imports from neighbouring countries.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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o Coal Supply: Inadequate domestic coal supplies against coal linkages is badly
affecting the industry. Due to competitive price and uncertainty in the quality of
linkage coal, about 63% of the fuel requirement is being fulfilled by procuring
imported coal and pet coke which also acts as a drag on the country’s forex reserves.
o Duty Free Import of Cement to be stopped: Government’s policy of allowing duty-
free import of cement in spite of India having more than 140 million tonnes of
surplus cement capacity lying idle due to lack of demand has led to uneven playing
field. There is a need to encourage and incentivize the cement and clinker export
from India and re-impose duty on import of cement.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Chemicals & Fertilizers
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investments for
Expansion Hiring
Moderate Outlook
Improvement Expected
Average levels of inventory
Not expected in next 6 months
Not expected in the next 3 months
• For the quarter April – June 2017, half of the respondents expect no change in production
levels while a third of sample expects slightly higher production levels (average 4%) vis-à-vis
last year.
• As for the quantum of orders, half of the firms surveyed reported similar number of orders
for the April – June quarter in comparison to the previous quarter, while about 42%
reported higher number of orders.
• Capacity utilization stands at 76% for this sector and for almost two-thirds of the
respondents it is at similar levels as compared to that of last year. Further, 92% of the
manufacturers are not planning to add capacity in the next 6 months.
• Half of the respondents reported higher levels of exports during the April – June quarter
(2017-18) over the same quarter of last year while a third experienced no change. Due to
the recent currency appreciation, half of the respondents expect exports to fall between 0-
5% of their current levels while a larger proportion (80%) expect imports to get cheaper in
the same range.
• Almost 60% of the respondents are maintaining their average inventory levels with one
third of the firms having higher inventory. Almost two-thirds of the participants are not
planning to hire workforce in next 3 months.
• The chemical and fertilizer manufacturers are reportedly availing credit at an average cost
of 11% p.a.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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• Two-thirds of the respondents believe the growth rate of manufacturing sector would not
change in coming months and the rest expect the same to revive. Following measures are
suggested by respondents for revival of growth:
✓ Interest rate needs to be lowered
✓ Reduction in crude oil prices required to reduce feedstock cost
✓ Further simplification of regulatory process
• For about 42% of the respondents, cost of production, as a percentage of their sales,
remained the same as that of corresponding quarter a year earlier while the same rose for
others.
• Deficiency of raw materials (esp. power), high input costs, sluggish domestic and export
demand and competition faced from imports are significant constraints to the growth of the
sector.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Electronics & Electricals
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Positive Outlook Improvement
Expected Higher level of
inventory Not expected in next 6 months
Not expected in next 3 months
• For the quarter under consideration, about 56% of the sample is expecting higher
production levels (with an average of 15%) on a y-o-y basis while others are expecting
similar numbers vis-à-vis last year.
• A little over a third of the respondents reported higher level of orders for the same period
while about 30% reported no growth.
• Current capacity utilization in the industry stands at 68% which is 10 percentage points
higher than that of the previous quarter. However, about 78% of the firms reported no
growth in capacity employment as compared to that of last year. Further, about two-thirds
of the respondents are not planning to add capacity in next six months.
• About 63% of the survey participants expect higher exports (by about 6%) in the April – June
2017-18 quarter as compared to the same quarter of last year. Only a quarter of the
participants are expecting lower exports. When asked about the impact of currency
appreciation, two-third of the sample expected exports to register a fall in the range of 0-
5% while three quarters believed prices of imports to fall in the same range.
• About two-third of the respondents were reportedly maintaining higher than average
inventory levels while others were having average inventory levels.
• About 63% of the participants were reportedly reluctant when asked about their plans of
hiring additional work force in next 3 months.
• Electronics industry’s respondents are availing credit at an average rate of 12%.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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• 56% of the sample in the sector expects the manufacturing sector to follow the current path
in the next six months while a third remains upbeat about the same. The industry suggested
improving infrastructure so as to control logistics costs to foster recovery of the sector.
• The sector has been experiencing a gradual rise in the cost of production as about two-third
of the participants reported a rise than that of last year.
• Prices of raw materials, higher cost of finance and competition faced from imports
(especially imports from China) are significantly affecting the growth of this sector.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Leather and Footwear
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investments for
Expansion Hiring
Moderate Outlook
Moderate Outlook
Higher levels of inventory
Not expected in next 6 months
Positive Outlook
• For the April - June 2017-18 quarter, half of the respondents are expecting increased
production levels vis-à-vis last year. Similar pattern of responses was observed when asked
for the quantum of orders during the same quarter.
• The sector is employing about 55% of its installed capacity and majority of firms are not
planning to add capacity in near future.
• Participants remained divided when asked about exports for the quarter as equal number
are expecting higher and lower level of exports vis-à-vis the same quarter last year.
• Inventory level of most of the respondents is reported to be higher than their average
levels.
• Notwithstanding the above scenario, most of the survey participants in this sector reported
that they are planning to expand their workforce in next three months.
• On an average, firms in the sector reported to be availing credit at the rate of around 11%.
• All the respondents indicated increased cost of production largely on the back of rise in
wages and raw material costs. Additionally, they suggested infrastructure improvement and
lower cost of finance as measures to boost growth of the sector.
• Firms in leather and footwear sector are significantly constrained by deficiency and high
prices of raw materials, deficiency of power, competition faced from imports and uncertain
economic environment.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Machine Tools
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Positive Outlook Not Available Not Available Bleak Outlook Not Available
• Most of the respondents in this sector reported slightly higher output growth during the
January – March quarter 2016-17 (y-o-y) and are expecting the same momentum (about 5-
10%) for production during the quarter ending June 2017 (y-o-y). However, on a sequential
basis, orders for the April – June 2017-18 quarter are expected to fall.
• The sector is reportedly operating at 80% of its installed capacity and the industry is not
expected to add further capacity.
• The sector representatives expect an upturn in manufacturing growth in the coming six
months. The respondents feel, in order to stimulate growth in the sector, the government
should push more reforms (esp. in the Ease of Doing Business domain) for land, power and
infrastructure.
• Some of the significant constraints for this sector are labour-related issues, shortage of
working capital, lower external demand, competition faced from imports and uncertainty of
economic environment.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Metal and Metal Products
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Moderate outlook
Moderate Outlook
Average levels of inventory
Not expected in next 6 months
Bleak Outlook
• For the April – June 2017-18 quarter, participants presented a divided opinion about
production scenario as half of them expected similar while the other half expected
increased output levels when compared to the corresponding period of last year.
• About 51% of the respondents reported higher quantum of orders in the quarter while 37%
reported no growth in orders.
• As for exports, almost two-thirds of the respondents expected no change in exports for the
April – June quarter (y-o-y basis) while the rest expected some improvement.
• Currently, the industry is operating at an average capacity of 76% and for over half of the
sample (58%), it is higher than that of last year’s. Further, almost all of the respondents
reported that they have no plans to increase their capacity in next 6 months.
• As for the inventory level, an overwhelming 85% of the participants reported that they
maintained average inventory levels.
• Almost all the respondents (90%) reported that they do not have any plans to hire new
workforce in next 3 months.
• The respondents reported to have availed credit from the banks at an average rate of 12%.
• About two-thirds of the respondents feel that growth rate of the manufacturing sector will
remain the same in short term. The industry suggested the following for revival of the
sector’s growth:
✓ Infrastructure development, especially improving availability of power to the
industry
✓ Improving availability of raw materials (especially coal & ore)
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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✓ Lowering cost of finance
• Almost all of the respondents indicated increased cost of production largely on the back of
rise in wages and raw material costs.
• Most of the respondents feel deficiency and high prices of raw materials, and lack of
domestic and export demand as the most significant constraints for the industry’s growth.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
20 | P a g e Manufacturing Division
Paper Products
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Positive outlook Moderate
outlook Average level
Not expected in next 6 months
Bleak Outlook
• Most of the respondents expect higher production levels for the sector during the April –
June quarter (y-o-y basis) with similar expectations about the quantum of orders for the
same quarter (q-o-q).
• On exports front, similar proportion of the sample expected same levels during the April –
June quarter of 2017-18 as compared to corresponding period of last year.
• Currently, the industry is operating at an average capacity of 80% which stands at higher
levels for almost half of the respondents as compared to that of last year. Owing to higher
capacity utilisation and not much further increase in demand, most of the respondents
reported that they are not planning to increase their capacity in the next 6 months.
• Majority of the survey participants reported that they are maintaining inventory levels at
par with their average levels.
• Almost all of the respondents were not planning any increase in manpower in next 3
months.
• Presently, the average rate of interest for availing credit for the industry is reportedly
between 11-12% p.a.
• Most of the industry representatives hold positive expectations regarding growth rate of
manufacturing in coming months.
• The respondents also highlighted scarcity and higher prices of raw materials and
competition faced from imports as areas of concern for the sector.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Textiles & Technical Textiles
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investments for
Expansion Hiring
Improvement Expected
Moderate Outlook
Average levels of inventory
Not expected in next 6 months
Bleak Outlook
• For the quarter April – June 2017-18, a little over two-fifths of participants expect their
production level to be similar to that of same quarter last year, while a third expect it to be
higher as compared to the same over the same period.
• For the same quarter, about 35% of the sample respondents reported higher number of
orders on a sequential basis while similar proportion reported no growth.
• On an annual basis, half of sample covered is expecting exports to remain subdued in April –
June quarter whereas about a quarter are expecting exports to be slightly higher than those
of last year. Well over 90% of the respondents feel the recent rupee appreciation would
affect exports in the range of 0-5% while a similar proportion expects imports to get
cheaper by the same magnitude.
• The average capacity utilization of the sector is hovering around 83% with about 53% of the
respondents operating at the same capacity as that of last year. Given an already high
capacity utilisation, almost 60% of the respondents do not foresee any growth in the same
especially when demand is not expected to rise much.
• About 63% of the respondents in textiles sector have reported that their current inventory
level is at par with their average inventory level while a quarter are reportedly having higher
inventories.
• Almost three quarters of the covered sample indicated that they are not planning to hire
new workers in next three months while others responded affirmatively.
• While the average cost of credit for the sector is around 9.5% but some of the respondents
reportedly were availing the same at around 14%.
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• Almost 70% of the respondents are confident about manufacturing growth to revive in
coming months while a quarter expects it to remain at the current level in the near future.
The following suggestions are made to stimulate growth in the sector:
✓ Reduction in Transactional costs (energy, transportation costs, etc.)
✓ Need to further rationalise cotton cost and procurement procedure
✓ Reduction of interest rates
✓ Increase in rate of interest subvention for exports
• Almost 70% of the sample respondents indicated an increase in cost of production and the
prime reasons for the rise in production cost has been mentioned as higher input costs
(including power and labour).
• Units in textiles sector are significantly affected by high prices of raw materials, labour
related issues and low domestic and export demand. Additionally, industry has suggested
that some of older legislations like Hank yarn obligation, Hand loom Reservation Act and
Pollution control norms etc., needs a revision as such obligations pose as impediments to
growth of the Textile Industry.
FICCI QUARTERLY SURVEY ON INDIAN MANUFACTURING SECTOR
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Textile Machinery
Quarterly Outlook for the Sector at a Glance
Production Exports Inventory Investment for
Expansion Hiring
Bleak Outlook Not Indicated Average levels of
inventory Not expected in next 6 months
Bleak Outlook
• The sector’s output growth is expected to remain flat during the quarter April – June 2017-
18 when measured on an annual basis. Further, on sequential comparison, industry has
reported leaner order books for the same quarter.
• The industry is reportedly operating at 60% of its installed capacity which is similar to the
levels witnessed in corresponding period of last year. Consequently, most of the
respondents are not planning any capacity addition and hiring for the next 6 months.
• A large part of the sample suggested that they are maintaining level of inventory at par with
their average level.
• Most of the respondents in the sector expect the manufacturing growth to remain the same
for the next few months.
• The sector reportedly is experiencing an increased cost of production, vis-à-vis last year,
largely owing to rising cost of raw materials, labour costs and power tariffs.
• Respondents from this sector have suggested restricting indiscriminate imports of second-
hand machinery which are available domestically as well; restricting availability of TUFS
benefit on second hand textile machinery; increasing import tariff on textile machinery and
extending TUFS for the Textile Engineering Industry, as some of the measures for the
government to boost the sector’s performance.
• Apart from the above, non-availability of skilled manpower, duty inversion and daunting
competition by cheaper imports are other significant challenges for this sector.